It's Something Unpredictable
by JoBethMegAmy. my homegirls
Summary: Prompt: Jane and Maura are strangers who meet at the Dirty Robber. Maura feels socially awkward and anxious at the thought of going to her impending high school reunion without a date, and Jane volunteers to accompany her as her longtime girlfriend.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Hey all! I'm back with a **three-shot** inspired by a prompt from thepriceisrizzoli, over at tumblr. It's fun to be back with these two :)

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Normally Jane would no sooner strike up a conversation with a stranger than she would cheer for the Yankees, but there was something different about the woman she was watching. Watching? That made her sound like a creep. She'd just caught Jane's eye was all. Jane was getting a drink, and had noticed this woman pacing back and forth outside the establishment. She looked as though she might be on her way to a gala or something; very high-end and talking to herself. Not literally talking to herself, but Jane could see she was trying to reason something out.

Jane tried to decide what kind of fries she wanted, figuring she should be trying to make contact with someone else at the bar—but every time she thought about getting up to do that, this woman would walk back into her frame of view. After a couple of minutes she sat down at a bench by the bus stop, and Jane had a hard time imagining a woman like this getting onto a bus. Maybe she just needed to rest. More likely, maybe Jane was overthinking it.

But she knew she wasn't overthinking it when she saw a guy sit needlessly close to this woman, and the woman trying to shrink away. When he kept blathering on, Jane decided it was time to step in.

"Hey! Sorry, honey, I just noticed you were out here. I thought we were meeting in the bar," Jane said, hurrying over to the bench to address the woman. "It's kinda chilly to wait for the bus out here, wanna come inside for a minute?"

She'd thought the woman would be eager for an excuse to leave, but she looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

Jane shifted her glance to the man who was sitting way too close. "Hey, make a space there, would ya, cheese dick?"

The woman laughed so abruptly and intensely that it came out as more of a snort, which got Jane going as well and the man got up, looking affronted. "_What _did you call him?" the woman wheezed.

"A cheese dick. Been on a bit of an '90s movies binge recently and feel like that's an insult that really needs to make a comeback."

"'90s movies, hm? Have you been trying to get yourself in the proper mindset for the reunion?"

Jane furrowed her brow. "The what?"

Now the woman looked more confused than before. "The reunion? Goddard Academy, class of 1999?" When Jane did nothing but stare blankly, the woman went on, "I'm sorry, I've just thought maybe you were an old classmate I couldn't place. Do I know you at all?"

"You do now," Jane said, sticking out her hand. "Jane Rizzoli, St. Dominic's class of 1998."

"Maura Isles." Her hand was smooth, and she gave Jane's a firm shake. "So, you just came over here to help rid me of the…"

"Cheese dick." (That made Maura smile again, and God, what incredible dimples.) "Glad it worked. You all right? I hope you don't—I mean I don't mean this in a creepy way, but like, I was just in that bar right there and noticed you pacing right out front and uh, is everything okay? Anything a total stranger from a different high school can do?"

The addition got another chuckle out of Maura when she had been preparing to get somber again. "Oh, well. It's nothing, really. I-I mean, nothing to bother anyone about."

"Go on, bother me. I don't mind. Want to bother me over a drink?"

"Um." _Um? You don't say "um." What's wrong with you? _Maura glanced at the bar, which looked warm and inviting and full of nonjudgmental people. "You know, maybe just one would help calm my nerves."

The cabernet was chalky, but Maura figured she should've been prepared for that at a place called The Dirty Robber. Jane was sipping a beer, her legs spread out across the length of her side of the booth in a display of enviable coolness. And now, Maura felt weird about it—weird about letting a stranger know she wasn't in a great place, and then accepting that stranger's invitation to go inside and talk about it. But maybe a stranger was the right kind of person to talk with, someone with no preconceived notions about her. As far as Jane Rizzoli knew, Maura could be anyone she wanted.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jane tried.

"Sorry," Maura said with a faint smile. "I'm over-thinking. It's just usually when I get a drink with a stranger, it's a ritualistic precursor to sex."

Jane choked on her beer and sat a little straighter. "Uh, well, to be clear that wasn't my intent in asking you in."

Maura screwed her eyes shut for a moment, as if that could rewind and erase the last few moments. "I know, sorry, that was rather forward. I…" She opened her eyes and saw Jane smiling gently at her, looking curious and not just out of politeness. "I'm a medical examiner in Hartford. I have degrees from BCU and Johns Hopkins. I love my job, I love my home, and I have a very fulfilling philanthropic life as well."

"All very impressive," Jane said with an attempt at a posh accent. She felt a little bad when that made Maura roll her eyes. "No, I mean, seriously. Uh, that's all kind of amazing."

"Yes, you know, I'm very proud of my accomplishments." And somehow the way she said it didn't make her sound vain. "So I _should _be confident, I _should _be fine. I should be able to just waltz in to that reunion without the slightest hang-up."

There was a short silence, in which Jane picked up the unspoken _but_: "You're not married. You don't have kids. And that's what a lot of people are going to care about. And so even though you've got this kickass life going on, being back around those creeps just puts you right back into that middle school mindset of feeling like you're not cool enough, you're not good enough, and it's illogical for you to think that way but you just can't help it when you're back around _those_ people."

Maura tipped her glass to Jane. "That is amazingly perceptive."

Jane's laugh was sour. "Yeah, I've been there. A friend strong-armed me into going to our reunion last year, and I couldn't believe the marriage and family stuff was like the only thing that seemed to matter to a lot of people. My professional accomplishments didn't matter, my hobbies didn't matter, none of it mattered because I didn't have a husband and a brownstone and a couple of kids. It's bullshit."

"Okay, so wow me. What professional accomplishments are you proud of?"

Now having brought it up, Jane seemed embarrassed to talk about it. "I'm a homicide detective. Been decorated a couple times, no big deal."

"No big deal? That's amazing!" Maura gasped. "Congratulations."

Jane tried not to show how pleased she was by the praise. "C'mon, you're an M.E., you must work with some pretty impressive people, yeah?"

Maura shrugged. "If you mean cops, then, I guess by some sort of objective measure I must. But the ones I've worked with tend to be rather rude. Gruff, impatient, you know. None of them has ever made as good an impression as you have in just the last five minutes."

"Ha! Oh, man, who knew there were such cranks in Connecticut? To be fair, you'd probably find me pretty bossy in the workplace."

"Oh, I could handle just bossy. I've been called that myself."

Smirking, Jane stroked the neck of her bottle and said, "Yeah, but I bet you're soft and polite about it when you're bossing people around." It looked like Maura didn't know how to respond to that beyond blushing and giggling, so Jane decided the kind thing to do would be to steer away a bit. Just a bit. "Is that how they tagged you in high school? Bossy?"

That got a wistful sigh out of Maura very fast. "No, I was much too quiet in school for anything like that. In fact, they used to call me Maura the Bore-a."

"Aw. Always been a science nerd, huh?"

"Oh, my, yes."

Jane shook her head, taking in all she could about Maura while the woman averted her gaze for another drink. Seeing her so elegant, wearing a gold jacket that somehow didn't look cheap and sporting side bangs that somehow didn't look juvenile, Jane could not for the life of her picture this woman ever being thought of as a nerd. Maybe that was something Maura had hoped to prove by going to this reunion. Maybe it was the ultimate female fantasy, where geeky boys Jane had known in school had been assured they'd one day be the bosses of the jocks who bullied them—maybe Maura's mother had said one day she'd be prettier and classier than the girls who were mean to her? Showing up twenty years later as this regal, intelligent, gorgeous being…

Time to test the theory: "Okay, so let me ask. If you're this worked up about it, why did you want to go to your reunion in the first place?"

With a rueful laugh, Maura's pristine posture sagged. "It was an impulsive decision. I'm not on social media, and I got curious to know about how some of my old classmates and friends are doing. I've never been great at staying in touch, so I thought it could be a nice idea to see where everybody's at in their lives. This one friend in particular, I really liked her and I saw she was going and I got sentimental." She shrugged. "Maybe that was silly of me."

"Not silly at all."

"Well, what _was _silly was my other impulsive decision to get a plus-one ticket," Maura said, making a face. "I have a… close friend, an ex, who travels a lot for work but always comes to see me when he's stateside and I had this dumb idea that maybe he'd like to come with me, and I don't know, help me feel less alone. It'd be nice to go, but nicer to feel like someone was in my corner. Being single would be one less thing I'd have to worry about getting ...I don't even know, pitied for? Nagged for? It's not even something that bothers me when I'm on my own!" (And Jane had no problem believing this, because she couldn't imagine Maura having trouble getting dates if she wanted them.) "It's just something about this environment. I've struggled with social anxiety for most of my life, and immersion therapy has mostly helped with that, but —you're right, there's something about old classmates that's just really hard to beat. Your old insecurities can't help but float up to the surface. So, the notion of going with my ex, my friend, really helped a lot when I thought about attending."

Jane nodded. It was hard work deciding whether to match Maura's solemnity or try cheering her up. "I'm sorry he's a flake. It's hard to nail down a busy nerd, huh?"

"Oh, I'm sure Ian was much cooler than I was in high school," Maura laughed. "What about you, you probably weren't a science geek, were you?"

"Nope," Jane chuckled. "I was a jock, but kinda right before it became cool for girls to be tomboys, y'know? I still got picked on. There was this dude who liked to call me Roly Poly Rizzoli—which I realize sounds dumb now, but man, it sure was awful when I was a kid. That and Frog Face."

"That's terrible! You haven't got a frog face. In fact, I'd say you have one of the loveliest faces I think I have ever seen."

That Maura could say this without a hint of hesitation or embarrassment struck Jane as something rather incredible. "Wow! You are very forthcoming, and I gotta say, I kinda love it."

"Sorry," Maura said, though her smile didn't seem to indicate that she was at all. "I can't help calling things like I see them. I'm afraid that being forthcoming is an extension of the fact that I'm a bad liar."

"Bad liar, huh? That's gonna make my proposition difficult."

Maura straightened up again, intrigued. "Your proposition?"

It was hard to think of anyone looking so casually confident as Jane did in that moment. "Yeah. If you've still got that plus-one and nobody else is using it, I think you should take me as your date. I can break the ice, I can talk you up to all your snotty old classmates. Just so you won't be alone. I've gone undercover several times in my line of work, and it'd be both a breeze and a pleasure to accompany you to your high school reunion as your girlfriend."

At some point during this offer, Maura's jaw had dropped and she struggled to form a response as Jane shrugged and finished off her beer. "Are you serious?"

"Hell yeah, I'm serious. What d'you say? I won't be offended if you say no, I promise. Just wanted to make the offer."

Maura was still having a hard time articulating herself, but Jane was encouraged by the smile she was fighting. "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me your gut reaction."

"Well, typically I don't make a habit of listening to my intestines. Oh," Maura laughed. "The colloquialism, of course. Hm. Considering I've known you less than ten minutes, it's a surprisingly tempting offer."

Jane held out her arms in a grand gesture of openness. "Let's make up for lost time, then! Ask me anything you want."

It felt kind of like speed dating, only without the speed or the pressure. Still, Maura wasn't sure where to start. "Okay, why don't you tell me what made you want to be a cop?"

"_Kindergarten Cop_."

"An officer who came to speak to your kindergarten class? They must've left quite an impression."

"No, the movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

Was that a super obvious pop culture reference that went over her head? Would Jane be turned off by that? _Is that something I need to be concerned about? No, given that this is all theoretical... _"Hm, I'm afraid I missed that one."

"Oh, it's great. He goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a gangster, but anyway, his partner is a woman and you'd think the movie would have them end up together, right? Or she'd like, suck at the job and he'd have to swoop in at the end of the day to help her? Nope! She's just as badass as he is and totally saves the day, and I was like damn, I wanna be like that. I wanna help kids and save the day, and I can do that without looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Maura had to smile at her enthusiasm. "Not the answer I would've expected, although I don't know what I _would _have expected."

"I could tell you more. I could tell you about someone breaking into my best friend's house when I was in middle school, and how they were never caught, and that sent me down this kinda obnoxious path of thinking if I had the resources, I could've done better." Jane had to laugh at her own youthful arrogance. "I dunno. Comes with this need to prove myself, I guess, and hope that I'm helping people at the same time. How's that?"

"Very admirable." She could go on with more inane questions, but this felt like a time-is-of-the-essence situation. Maybe she couldn't impress Jane here, but she could at least get right to the point: "And what do you look for in a…"

Jane grinned, and Maura felt her heart rate drastically speed up. "A woman?"

Maura couldn't fight a blush, which felt stupid, given that this whole thing had been Jane's idea in the first place. "Yes, that. A woman."

"Y'know, the first woman I ever seriously dated was also on the force. We had a _lot _in common, and that's when I realized there was such a thing as too much compatibility," Jane mused. "I thought that being so much the same would mean we had a good time, just, like, _all _the time. But it was missing something. A spark. Having things in common is still important, of course, but I'm not as turned off by differences as I used to be. I like a woman who's going to challenge me. Challenge my brain, challenge my habits, in ways I hadn't considered. I like a woman who's going to take me to do things I've never done, places I've never been." She cleared her throat, noting that Maura looked totally mesmerized. "Seems like that's working for you, yeah? But I can play it different, if you want. Like, say, I like a woman who's a lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets?"

"Oh, God! Don't ruin it," Maura moaned, laughing almost to the point of hysterics because it was the only thing keeping her from fixating on the mental image of rolling around in bed with this ridiculously beautiful woman. "Ah. Go on, it's your turn. Ask me something."

It was hard not to be amused by how flustered Maura was, but Jane intuited that she was not one who'd respond well to light teasing, so she let it alone. "Okay, what about you? What do you look for in a…"

"A partner. Well, I suppose that depends on what it is I want in the given moment. Sometimes, a physical attraction is all I need. But if I'm on the cusp of considering a serious relationship with somebody, I need to ask myself three things: one, can I be vulnerable with this person? Two, can I enjoy quiet time with this person? And three, does this person respect me?"

Jane was solemn and silent for several long moments, getting to the point where Maura wondered if it was somehow still her turn to talk. But then, Jane said, "Sorry—I was just trying to see if I passed the 'quiet time' test, but it probably takes longer, yeah?" She smiled, high on the feeling it gave her to make Maura laugh. "But two out of three's not bad, right? I for sure respect you, and I feel like you've been pretty vulnerable tonight."

"That's true, that's very true," Maura admitted. "And there's something else I forgot to add. I've been told I'm not the best at detecting humor, so, I really appreciate it when I'm with somebody who can make me laugh. So I think we could say, to borrow a common phrase, you're batting a thousand."

"Ooh!" Jane crowed. "A baseball reference? A girl after my own heart!"

Maura beamed. "You know, the other useful thing is that because I was so quiet in high school, you could say anything about me and people wouldn't think it was out of character or a huge leap. So you wouldn't need to know too much about me to really make this work. Oh, gosh. Am I talking myself into this crazy idea?"

Jane leaned forward. "I think you are. I think it's a definite possibility. I am cool as a cucumber when it comes to undercover stuff, so really, I'd have your back if you'd like to go. I'll follow your lead."

Maura bit her lip, looking Jane over. "You're dressed very nicely. Would I be taking you away from something important?"

"Nope, I just left it." Jane was wearing a crisp white button-up, the top few buttons undone, and black slacks. "There was a fundraiser for after-school programs at my nephew's school. That's my blazer and tie on the hook there." She smirked when Maura all but salivated at the thought of her wearing them. "So is that a yes?"

"It's a yes."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Thank you all for your follows and feedback! This turned into a very lengthy chapter somehow. One more to finish up.

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Maura's car was parked down the street. She explained that she'd gotten out and was pacing earlier because she'd felt herself getting anxious behind the wheel, and one of the best ways for her to counteract that was by getting some air and exercise. Tommy had dropped Jane off at the Dirty Robber, freeing her up to accompany Maura in her car—and, she explained, get some more important intel. She figured it would be useful to learn a bit more about what Maura's school years had been like.

It wound up being a surprisingly somber drive, because Jane's first question had been to ask about Maura's childhood and Maura didn't hold back. Maura was glad that she was driving for this part of the conversation; it was easier for her to be open when she could keep her eyes on the road instead of Jane's face, although it was still somewhat distracting knowing that Jane was watching her. She talked about the benign neglect she'd faced from her parents, and how that had led her to make the decision to go to a boarding school on her own. It would take the sting out of that loneliness a bit if she only saw her parents on holidays, and they would even seem pleased to see her after such long stretches of time. She talked about being on the fencing team and the chess club, and how the best friends she'd had at school were the teachers. It made her laugh to reminisce as Jane asked to talk about her favorite ones.

"Okay, so let me see if I've got the general idea," Jane said. "Your parents were never very expressive of their love for you, and that may have contributed to the fact that you were a really subdued kid. They were artsy-fartsy types who weren't really 'kid' people, so they kinda just brought you up without adjusting their taste or concerns so you've always maybe been a bit mature for your age, and that made it difficult to make friends at school."

"Huh. You've astounded me once again with your—"

"Deductions?" Jane smirked. "Detective, remember?"

Maura chanced a look at her, and smiled. "Right. What were your parents like?"

With a dismissive wave of her hand, Jane said, "Overbearing mother, a dad I adored until he cheated on my mother, cuing their divorce—"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal, it's fine," Jane said curtly, signaling her intent not to dig deeper into it by moving on without a breath: "Two younger brothers who annoyed the hell out of me growing up but were also my best friends, if that makes sense." She cleared her throat. "But we're not talking about me, we're talking about you."

"Hey, if you're the one who's so intuitive and I'm the one who's bad at lying, shouldn't _you _be the one baring your soul to _me_?" Maura countered.

Jane shrugged, smiling at the teasing tone of Maura's voice. "Not a whole lot to tell. I pretty much work all the time, and when I'm not working, I'm watching sports or hanging at the Dirty Robber with my friends. I have a small dog, given to me by a co-worker, her name's Jo Friday and she's the love of my life. Besides you, of course," she added with an exaggerated chuckle, patting Maura's shoulder, which got the doctor to laugh. "I used to be a night owl, but then I started getting up early in the mornings to work out, so now I'm a grandma who's usually in bed by like ten. Children's cereal is my guilty pleasure, which is a habit you've been trying to cure me of for the last …six months? How long do want to say we've been dating?"

"Hm, six months is maybe too pat a number. Let's say ten."

"Deal. We met on a case, and you couldn't resist flirting with me right at the crime scene."

Maura scoffed. "I would never flirt over a dead body."

"That's not how I remember it, sweetheart," Jane said, pitching her voice even lower than usual, ostensibly for comedic effect, but Maura had to hope her own nervous laughter would hide how turned on she'd gotten. "See? This is totally what couples would do when talking about how they met, anyway. Disagree. We're solidly on our way. And while I'm thinking about it, where do you stand on pet names? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Oh, um, I guess it's not something I've ever thought about before. I mean, I get very frustrated when older men call me 'darling' on the job, but that's the only thing I can think of. So, anything that feels natural to you is fine."

"You got it, sugar ti—"

"Okay, _not _that."

They passed the rest of the drive discussing what shared nostalgia they might have in common (shared disdain for boy bands and shared love for _The Princess Bride_; the movie _Contact _being the closest thing Maura had had to a religious experience; Jane saying she should have known she was gay when she was far more attracted to Kelly Kapowski than Zack Morris or AC Slater; and so on). When they arrived at the most posh venue Jane had ever seen, she started putting on her tie and whistling "My Heart Will Go On." Maura parked and as Jane focused intently on the rear view mirror to do her tie, it gave Maura moment to unabashedly take her in.

_How am I here? How am I here, with this woman who's so sexy it's almost frightening, and what possessed her to offer to do this for me? Theory is one thing, but can I pull this off? Is this real life? Or is it fantasy? Oh geez, what song is that? That's going to drive me crazy._

Jane asked if Maura was ready to go at the same time that Maura blurted out "Bohemian Rhapsody!", which led to a brief awkward stare-off, before Jane assumed it was a continuation of their discussion and she said she'd never cared for that song because it was so overplayed. She got out of the car and Maura took a deep breath, trying to steady herself and not be so weird. She jumped when Jane opened the door, holding out a hand for her.

"Sorry, I don't mean to rush you," Jane said, leaning against the car. "Want me to get back in?"

"No." Maura took her hand and stepped out. It was surprising how normal it felt, walking along hand in hand, as if they'd done this many times before. Jane gave her hand a squeeze when they reached the main entrance, and pulled her to the side.

"I just realized we didn't set boundaries," she whispered. "I'm guessing if you didn't want to take my hand just now, you wouldn't have, well, taken it. But I'll tell you upfront I'm not gonna get grabby, or like try to kiss you out of nowhere, or something. I trust you, so do whatever feels natural for you. And please don't hesitate to tell me if I overstep in any way."

Her intention had been to make just a quick aside before they went in, but Maura was looking at her as though Jane had just recited an epic romantic poem. Only partly conscious of the reunion guests filing past them, Maura touched Jane's cheek and patted her thumb against it.

"Can I kiss you here?"

Jane's expression of concern morphed into a small smile. "Of course, doc. You don't have to ask."

Maura pecked her cheek and kept their fingers intertwined. "You've somehow already managed to be much more considerate that several of my previous partners. Thank you."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jane said with a sad smile. "I mean, I'm sorry that must mean you've had to put up with some creeps in the past, but I'm glad I can be here with you now."

Wondering if she had over-shared, Maura worked to get past it. "Right. What is it cops say when they're going undercover? About not getting caught?"

Jane's smile widened at the hopeful sincerity in Maura's expression. "Don't get made."

"Right! Don't get made. Got it."

"That's the spirit," Jane said, heading for the doors. "Shall we? Wait. Wait, hold on." She pulled Maura to the side again, so they could both watch the person walking into the venue. "Is there a dress code you failed to mention?"

Maura laughed. It was very easy to see who Jane was talking about: a woman with a headpiece which could've been mistaken for a small ecosystem. "That's Clarissa Wyndham. I googled some of my more prominent classmates the other night, and it turns out she married the Duke of Shernandorne."

It was hard for Jane to hide her disdain. "What _is_ it with the English and their ridiculous hats?"

"The Anglican church made women cover their heads."

"With a pink migrating goose?"

Maura just laughed again and led Jane back to the doors. It was a surprise to go inside and hear nothing but chatter. They had both been anticipating loud music, but there was none. After a few moments of looking around, they saw a deejay and people on a dance floor, all of whom were wearing clunky headphones. Jane was bewildered, leading Maura to explain this concept, which allowed for some people to dance to the music in the headphones and others to be able to converse without shouting over music. Near the doorway was a table with nametags and Sharpies. Maura took her time trying to figure out where she could place a nametag that would be the least aesthetically intrusive. Jane wrote "if lost, please return to Maura Isles" on her own, and slapped it on her blazer.

It seemed to Jane that either Maura had misjudged what people thought of her, or they were so shocked at her transformation that they couldn't help gravitating towards her. They'd gone to the bar for a drink, and doing the same was one of Maura's former lab partners. He was there with his wife, and rather tactlessly went on about how he'd had a huge crush on Maura all through school. Jane also thought it was a bit tasteless of Maura to seem delighted by this, as his wife tried not to look uncomfortable.

"Bygone days, right?" laughed his wife, looking at Jane as if for help.

"Oh, sure," Jane said, shaking her hand. "Good thing for us that Maura was too invested in science class to flirt back, huh?"

"Excuse me, 'us'?" cut in the lab partner, whose name Jane had already forgotten (he had illegibly signed his nametag as if he were autographing something). "You two aren't…"

"Dating? Yes," Maura said. "I'm sorry, didn't I introduce her as my girlfriend?"

"You did," he said slowly. "I guess I thought you meant your friend… who was a girl."

"Who brings a friend to a reunion?" Jane asked.

He had no response to that, and instead made a show of waving to someone over Maura's shoulder and saying he'd see her later. Jane and Maura wandered over to a wall that had been decorated with pictures of the class in 1999. Jane was busy trying to find a picture of Maura, but Maura seemed entertained enough just getting nostalgic for the goofy hairdos and clothes, and shared choice anecdotes inspired by various photos. Hearing her go on about class trips and funny teachers made it sound like maybe high school hadn't been a total wash for her.

"Hey, there you are!" Jane said. She pointed to a picture of Maura in fencing gear, her helmet off. A boy was standing behind her, pretending that he was about to attack her. "Looking good!"

"Oh, gosh. Thank you," Maura chuckled. "I was captain of the girls' team, and that's Mike Lazarus, the boys' captain. He was a nice kid, I was sorry I didn't see his name on the RSVP list. Fencing drew an interesting crowd. I'm not sure that it's the same everywhere, but at Goddard, it seemed like it was the sport of people who… well, they _wanted _to participate in something, you know, they weren't anti-social. We just weren't particularly athletic in the traditional sense. Mike used to call us the island of misfit… something."

"Toys?"

Maura turned to her in surprise. "Yes, toys! How'd you know?"

"My detective skills hard at work, dear."

They were standing arm in arm, although Jane couldn't remember which of them had initiated that or how long they'd been so positioned. All she knew was that it felt nice, and that it was surprising how not-strange that was. She didn't want to bring it to Maura's attention, in case that made her feel weird. But it seemed that Maura had to be liking it, too, or at least feeling comfortable with it.

At the far end of the wall were the class superlatives with their senior pictures attached. "Hey, you won Class Eyes," Jane observed.

"Oh, I'd forgotten that. It was quite a surprise. I was sure Melissa Paul would win; her eyes were such a beautiful electric blue. People seem to have a thing for blue eyes."

"Overrated," Jane said. "Let me get a good look at yours. Huh. Hazel?" She bit her lip, not wanting to sound cheesy, but it was such a perfect set-up for a compliment that it couldn't be avoided: "Y'know, I think I agree with whatever committee slapped that title on you. You've got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

Maura blushed, shaking her head with a small laugh. "I don't know what to do with you, you're too much. What superlative did they give you, Class Clown?"

"Hey, I don't clown around when it comes to complimenting women." Then it occurred to Jane that maybe it hadn't been a deflection. Maybe Maura had been trying to pivot away from over-familiarity overextending its welcome. She hastily retreated into self-denigration: "Nah, not enough people were really aware of me to vote me in for a superlative. I remember electing someone with green eyes to win Class Eyes, though. I always wished mine were green."

"Hm, that could be an interesting look on you. But I think yours are lovely, for what it's worth."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. That's partly why I've been having a hard time getting myself to look away from them tonight."

That finally got Jane to blush, but the lighting was too dim for Maura to see it. "You gotta watch yourself, doc, you're getting a little flirty. Which I don't mind," she hurried to add, when Maura's expression turned anxious. "In fact, uh, quite the opposite. You just wanna be careful in case someone overhears you. Those compliments oughtta sound ten months deep."

"Oh, right. Don't get made. So…" Maura wasn't usually this playful, but something about Jane made it easy. She was sure she had to be matching the goofy grin unfolding on Jane's face. "Could you give me an example of some that might seem more in character, so to speak? Timeline-wise?"

A couple passed them by, and Jane gently put her hands on Maura's waist, pulling her a little closer and conscious of being overheard. "Oh, baby. I could compliment you all night."

But then the woman by them recognized Maura, and had to say hello. She was one of Maura's old fencing teammates, and though Jane was sort of sorry for the interruption, she was glad to see Maura's social grace on display. Maura looked luminous, happy, and her hand never left Jane's arm as others came by—it seemed that, like Jane, she was more of a hand shaker than a hugger, despite the fact that many an old classmate seemed ready to initiate one. Maura was relieved that nobody was asking too many details about how they'd met or about their relationship: they looked so comfortable together that their history just seemed like a given.

Things got a little harder, though, when Maura's closest friend in school approached them.

"Detective Rizzoli?"

Jane turned around, surprised. What was someone from work doing here? And what was her name, again? She squinted to read the nametag. "Uh…"

"Chang. Susie Chang."

Maura had missed the interaction, and only noticed Jane turning in Susie's direction. She gasped in delight at seeing her, and it was easily the happiest Jane had seen her all night. Susie even got a hug, and as the women exchanged their initial greetings, Jane quickly got to thinking about how to spin this. To those who had inquired politely about what Jane did for a living, it had been easy to imply that as a cop, Jane had met Maura on the job in Connecticut, where Maura lived and worked. No need for anyone to assume she lived in Boston. Obviously Susie would know differently.

"Gosh, I'm just so terrible at keeping in touch," Maura said.

"We really do need to get you on social media, Maura. Catch up to the digital age," said Susie.

"I know, I just don't like putting so much of myself out there."

"Not even on dating profiles? Or how did you meet Detective Rizzoli?"

"We—" Maura's smile dropped off as she registered what Susie had just said. _They haven't been introduced yet, have they? _"Do you…?"

"Let me catch you up. I'm a criminalist at BPD."

"_That's_ it!" Jane said, snapping her fingers. "Senior Criminalist Chang, of course! Yes. Now remind me, how long have you been with us?"

"It'll be a year in three months."

Jane raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't this type ever be direct? "So about nine months, then. Well. So, that means you were never on the Gage case, right?" She cleared her throat and Susie shook her head; Jane hoped Maura was keeping a cool expression. "Boy, I tell ya, that case was a real mess. Psychological mumo-jumbo out the ying-yang, and you know Dr. Pike is hopeless when it comes to that kind of stuff, yeah? Forensic psychology?"

"Oh, brother," Susie said, rolling her eyes. "What _isn't _he hopeless about?"

"Huh. Well, let's put a pin in that. Anyway, I took it upon myself to put out the word that we were looking for someone with credible experience in that field in the tri-state area, and that lead me to the esteemed Dr. Isles."

Susie raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Where are you these days?"

"Hartford. I'm a medical examiner."

"_Wow!_" Susie gushed. "Good for you, how exciting. I always knew you were brilliant. Isn't she brilliant?" she asked Jane, who had never heard her talk this happily. "I was such a fangirl in school. I wanted to do whatever Maura was doing. N-not in a creepy way, I mean, because I respected her so much and she was the smartest person I knew. Might still be."

"I'll be damned," Jane chuckled. "You've been holding out on me, babe! You had a fan club in school and everything."

"If I did, I assure you, Susie was the only member. And the feeling was mutual."

Jane was positive she'd never seen Susie beaming like this, even after helping to make a useful discovery on the job. "Hey, either of you ladies hungry?" Jane asked. "Why don't we snag a table and check out the goods? I'm gonna hit the restroom, but I'll be right back." When Susie struck out for the fanciest buffet Jane had ever seen, Jane pulled Maura back for a moment. "I think she likes you. Don't go making me jealous, huh?" She winked.

The wink left Maura feeling flustered as Jane went in the opposite direction for the restroom. _That was a joke, right? That was a "ten months in" kind of comment. She's funny. Oh, no. She's funny and gorgeous and sweet and I need to get it together._

Susie had already grabbed some things and was waving to her from a table. Maura got some food and went to join her, and was ready to catch up on Susie's life but Susie beat her to the punch:

"Wow, sorry, I just can't get over how bizarre it is that one of my best friends from high school is dating Jane Rizzoli."

"It's a small world, isn't it? Or do you mean you're surprised because of the type of person Jane is?" Now Susie looked uncomfortable for having said anything, but Maura couldn't help wanting to follow up now. "Quick, before she gets back and acts all embarrassed—what's she like at work? You can be honest with me, I won't be offended. What's she like at BPD, when she's not trying to curry favors from an outsider like me?"

It took Susie a moment to decide how to answer. Her memory of Maura was that she had always been a straight-shooter, not from a place of rudeness but from ordinary openness. She appreciated honesty, but still, there was a way to go about it delicately.

"Detective Rizzoli is very… professional," she began.

"How diplomatic," Maura chuckled. "She told me I'd find her bossy if we worked together regularly. Would you say that's fair?"

Maura's cheery attitude helped put Susie at ease. "Well, I mean, she likes people to be on the ball, and fast. I'm told she has a sense of humor, but I've never seen it on the job. I guess I can't hold her impatience against her, though, because she doesn't ask anything of us that she doesn't do herself; I mean, in terms of working long hours or following through until something is exactly where or how it needs to be. She can be tough, and she runs a tight ship, but I try not to take it personally. I'm sure part of it must come from trying to prove herself in a typically male-dominated field. You should be proud knowing that she's maybe the best-respected detective in the city. She's brilliant. Just maybe…"

"Is there a word you want me to put in for you? I can try to exercise a little of my influence."

Susie laughed awkwardly. "Well, if it comes up, remind her that p's and q's are always appreciated.

Maura promised to bring it up discreetly, then changed the subject by asking for Susie's contact info. She was in the process of texting her own phone number to Susie when Jane came to the table with a small plate.

"You two done talking about me?" she joked, putting her arm around Maura's shoulders.

"All good things, detective," Susie said.

"So formal!" Maura said. "You're not at work, you can use first names, right?"

Jane and Susie exchanged an uncomfortable glance, and Jane said, "Yeah, Chang, lighten up."

"You're terrible," Maura laughed. "We'll work on that. Jane, this'll be good for you, learning about your colleagues' non-professional lives. Susie, catch me up."

It took a while for Susie to get comfortable talking so openly in front of Detective Rizzoli, but it became easier as she focused on Maura's enthusiasm. And then (in Jane's opinion) it got maybe a little too easy, because Susie had started talking about how she'd scandalized her parents by taking one, then two, then three years off after college to live on a nudist commune with her boyfriend. They were still together, but he was at a conference that weekend and hadn't been able to join her for the reunion.

"We still like to go on nudist retreats now and then. Is that something you'd ever be interested in?" Susie asked Maura, and Jane choked on her drink.

"Hm, how do you feel about nudism? Somehow we've never talked about it," Maura said, turning to Jane.

"Yeah, uh, that nudity is reserved for you and you alone. I guess you could say I'm pretty conservative that way."

A new voice joined the conversation: "Maura's a real exhibitionist though, isn't she?"

The three of them looked up to see a man leering at them, and Jane felt Maura tense up. As he said his goodbyes to the men he was with, Jane whispered, "I'm sorry, did you go to school with _Garrett Fairfield_?"

"I didn't see his name on the RSVP list," Maura said back. "We dated for almost a year in college. It didn't end well."

Jane looked at her incredulously, then asked, "Can I be rude to him?"

Maura was surprised by the question, but said, "If he dishes it out, he should be able to take it."

Garrett spared a hello for Susie and sat himself down across from Maura, smirking and rolling his shoulders like a big-shot. "So! What were we talking about, ladies?"

"You said something about Maura being an exhibitionist?" Susie said, displaying a sudden inability to read the room.

"It was one time," Maura sighed.

"Sure got my attention, though," Garret said.

"We were at BCU, and they wanted to make cuts to the equestrian team," Maura explained, looking apologetically at Jane. "As a form of protest, I… well, I rode my horse through campus. Um, nude."

Jane had to laugh, but her reaction was tampered somewhat by Garrett's presence. "Wow! I can't believe you never mentioned that before. It never would've occurred to me to use nudity as a form of protest. Was it effective? And I didn't ask you," she said, pointing at Garrett but keeping her eyes on Maura.

"A bit."

"Aw, she's being shy," Garrett laughed.

"Well, I won't be," Jane said. She reached across the table to shake Garrett's hand, surprising him with a firm grip. "Jane Rizzoli. I'm Maura's date. So I'd appreciate it if you could uh, restrain yourself a bit there, buddy."

Garrett looked from one of them to the other, his smile lessening just slightly. "Wait, you two are—? Wait. No."

Jane's arm was still around Maura's shoulder, and Maura reached up to take her hand. "No what?"

He took a drink, trying to buy time to compose himself. There was an excited glint in his eye that Jane really didn't like. "Maybe your Lady Godiva moment should've tipped me off, Maura, but I didn't know you were so adventurous. What is it you do, Ms. Rizzoli, that swept Maura off her feet?"

"First of all, please, you don't need to call me Ms. 'Detective' would be just fine."

"A flatfoot! How charming."

"A flatfoot?" Jane snorted. "What's that say on your nametag—'grandma'?"

He gave his blazer an unnecessary flourish. "It says Garrett. Or are you pretending you don't know who I am?"

"Oh, I know who you are. Takes one to know one, right?"

"What?"

"A dick. Or are we not using outdated slang to describe my job anymore?"

Susie gasped and Maura was unsuccessful in covering her laugh with a cough. "That reminds me, I missed the cheese plate at the buffet table up there. Jane, would you be a dear and get me some?"

Under the table, her hand squeezed Jane's leg. It was an intimate gesture Jane hadn't been expecting, because no one else could see it; it wasn't a display. Maybe she'd ridden Garrett too hard, and Maura was trying to be gracious. Either way she trusted Maura felt all right to handle the situation, or else she wouldn't be sending her away. Jane patted her shoulder and made to stand up, but not before Maura had kissed her on the cheek.

Jane took her time finding the cheese. She kept glancing back to their table, wanting to make sure Maura was all right. To her relief, even pride, it seemed that Maura was doing just fine: she looked serious, but not worn down, and Jane wondered what she was saying. She also wondered what it was that had kept Maura with such a tool for almost a year, and she figured for the moment she could chalk it up to youthful indiscretion. But it was hard to imagine a time and place when Garrett wouldn't have been such a creep.

The cheese provided a nice distraction, but it was brief, because when she turned around Garrett was standing right in front of her.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to step around him.

But he had his hand held out, presumably for another shake. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings. Wanna make sure you're gonna use those cuffs on Maura, not me."

_Is he for real? _"Don't tempt me, Fairfield."

"I'd hate for you to think poorly of me."

"I don't think of you at all," Jane said blankly.

"You've got a lot of disdain for someone who met me five minutes ago."

"And you've been gross for all five minutes. Now if you'll excuse me, it's been a pleasure walking away from you." When Jane got back to the table, Maura's face was in her hands and Susie was gone. "Did that jerk scare your friend away?"

"He was ignoring her and asking inappropriate questions about me, so she found some other people to catch up with," Maura sighed. "I'm sorry. If I'd known he was going to be here, I wouldn't have risked exposing you to him."

"Okay first of all, now that Chang is gone, let's stop this talk of exposing people," Jane said, and that got a weary laugh out of Maura. "Second of all, please don't feel bad on my account. I have to deal with creeps every day on the job, and I barely had to deal with him. It's fine. Are _you _okay?"

She nodded, taking one of the cheese cubes and grapes Jane had gotten. "Yes. Felt good to tell him off, actually."

"Don't answer this if you don't want to, but I'm curious… did he pass those rules you set up? Your criteria for deciding whether to date someone?"

"At first, yes," Maura said. "I mean, I was flattered. He was the golden boy at Goddard, and getting his attention at BCU kind of felt like a big deal. He's not intimidated by intelligent women, so we connected over some things, but then I started feeling a bit like his arm candy. We never had any quiet time, any down time. I stopped feeling like I could be vulnerable in front of him, and I didn't think he respected me. So I guess you could say, actually, he laid the groundwork for me learn what I _didn't _want in a romantic partner."

"Well, there's something to be said for figuring that out. And for what it's worth, if I'd known he'd be here, I'd have still come. If an unpleasant moment with him was the price for an evening out with someone as wonderful as you, I'd say I got off easy."

Maura just shook her head. Her face was starting to get sore from smiling so much. "It's going to be hard to say goodbye to you when this over."

Jane knew the feeling all too well. "Hey, it's not over yet, so let's not worry about that. See any other folks we should talk to, or what's next on your reunion checklist?"

Maura bit her lip, surveying the room. At this point she'd spoken with everyone she cared to, and while the food had been delicious, it had also been rich and she'd had her fill. Her eyes landed on the couples dancing, seemingly to nothing, but with headphones all synced up to something that now appeared to be a slow dance. It was kind of a funny sight, but all of a sudden Maura wanted to be part of it.

"Would you dance with me?"

"Of course." Jane took Maura's hand and kissed it before leading the way to the dance floor. "Where do we get those headphones?"

Maura came to a stop as soon as they reached the floor. "I don't want them. I think I'd rather talk and dance with you."

She hadn't intended it as some sort of test, but that's what it turned out to be: if Jane had indicated in expression or tone that she thought this was a stupid idea, that sneer would've hurt. But this entire evening, she had never made Maura feel weird or dumb, which was sadly a new experience in meeting someone for the first time. Jane made a comment referring to how odd it seemed to dance without music, but she smiled and was clearly game.

"So based on what you've learned tonight, do you think we would've been friends in high school?" Maura asked. It was saddening how quickly Jane had said no, but Maura figured she shouldn't be sad because it at least seemed very obvious that Jane was fond of her in the here and now. Still, she tried to mask the disappointment: "Ah, yeah, I guess I didn't like myself much either, back then."

"Hey, no, you asked me if we'd be friends. Not if I'd have _liked _you," Jane said. "I would have for sure had a big-ass crush on you, but never would've told you. I'd have walked into a locker trying to watch you pass by. I'd have been awed by you sitting from my desk in the back row of the classroom, trying to figure out how you were so smart. You were a brain, I was a jock. I'd have been way too self-conscious about that to try befriending you. Believe it or not, I wasn't a very confident teenager."

Maura briefly shifted her hand from Jane's shoulder to stroke her cheek. "I'm not sure I believe that. Or at least, it's rather amazing what a turnaround you've had that allowed you to be in this space with me here, now, after not even knowing me for three hours."

"We've crammed a lot into these three hours, though," Jane chuckled. "I feel like I've known you much longer. I'd have been sorry I missed my chance to be your friend in school. I'm sorry I missed my chance to ask you to the prom." She shifted to twirl Maura out, then pulled her back in a little closer than before. "But I'm glad I'm making up for it now."

There was no romantic music to hear swell, just Maura's own heartbeat pounding harder and harder as she hoped she wasn't misreading everything that had happened between them. "A boy asked me to prom, but I was so sure it was as a joke, that I said no. Did you go to yours?"

"Well, I was supposed to. My date stood me up."

"Oh, no!"

Jane sighed. "Yeah. He was kind of a jerk. It sounds kinda like you and Garrett, though; Casey was really popular, and also a jock, and I felt like I should've been flattered that he was paying me any attention at all. But I wouldn't put out, which to him was I guess the whole point of dating or at least going to prom, so… at the last second he found a girl who _would _put out and took her instead."

"Oh, my gosh. That's terrible."

"Eh. Yeah, I mean, it was pretty humiliating," Jane chuckled. "I'd had to go through days of shopping with my mother to find a dress we could both agree on, and she made me up and took me to a salon to get my hair done all nice. I think she was just so excited that I was finally gonna do something girly, y'know? She was way more into it than I was. Then time kept passing, and he kept not picking me up, and uh yeah it was pretty lame. I was sitting out on the porch all night, until my brother Tommy came out with a chess set and we just played for a couple hours. No one else knew what to say to me."

The mental image was so upsetting, it took Maura a few moments to think of anything to say. "Well, that boy really missed out."

A rueful smile graced Jane's features. "I missed out, too. Not on him," she was quick to clarify. "It's just been on my mind, being here and seeing all the décor and like the pictures and stuff from your class when they were in school. Twenty years isn't that long, but at the same time, it really is. The world is such a different place. A friend of mine's got a daughter who's in eighth grade, I think, and she just came out and she talks all the time about this girl she's got a crush on. And I'm thinking about all the firsts she's going to have, all the experiences she's going to get that I never did. And that's so great, I mean it. I'm so happy for her but I can't help being kind of jealous, too, you know?"

"How old were you when you came out?"

"Twenty-nine. Better late than never, right? And I should be grateful, I know, because there are people who live twice as long before they figure it out, let alone come out."

"It's not a competition, Jane," Maura said softly. "It's okay."

"I know. I'm just sad I missed the innocent stuff. The innocent phase. Or, that window of time where it's socially acceptable for you to _be _innocent, you know? It shouldn't be like that. We should all be able to have our comfort zones, and leave them in our own time, but when you're in your late twenties people just expect you to… I dunno, to be experienced or _want _to be experienced. They expect every date to end in sex, or for you to be ready to just dive into anything. I felt kinda rushed. And now I'm thinking about all those things I wish I could've been experiencing with my friends in high school. Little things, dumb things, like talking about crushes or trying to work up the nerve to borrow a pencil from a girl you liked."

Maura stroked her cheek again, and that drew Jane's smile back out. "Those aren't dumb things."

Jane went on: "I wish I could've done like my brothers, and brought a girl home and just made out for hours. No pressure. Asked her to a dance. Whatever. I've gotten a lot better at figuring out my boundaries and setting them, but I wish I could've goofed my way through all that other stuff when I was a kid, like everyone else."

There was a lot to unpack here, and Maura took her time sifting through it all. It wasn't uncommon for people to fantasize about how much better their teenage life might've been if it hadn't been for factor x or y, and the gift of distance made it all the easier to conjure pleasant daydreams about what might've been. But there was an aching truth to yearnings like Jane's. She didn't imagine a past girlfriend for her young self as much as the opportunities to try getting one.

"I would've said yes," Maura said.

"Hm?"

"If you'd asked me to prom. I would've said yes."

Jane's only response was a quiet laugh. She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against Maura's.

"Now, can I ask you something?" Maura whispered. "And not under the guise of trying to impress anyone else here?"

Remembering herself, Jane straightened up. "Shoot."

Jane's smile was so warm and so sincere, and she seemed to know what Maura wanted to request. This helped give Maura the boost of courage she needed to ask, "Can I kiss you?"

By way of response, Jane stopped swaying to the non-existent music and pressed her lips to Maura's. Jane was so grateful to whoever had decided the dancers should have headphones instead of speakers, because this arrangement allowed her to hear the soft sigh that escaped her date. Maura slipped her arms around Jane's neck, and Jane pulled her in still closer by the waist, deepening the kiss. A very faint sense of decorum registered moments later as Jane remembered they were in a very public space. She broke off the kiss with a shuddering sigh, and leaned her forehead against Maura's once again.

Maura shifted to give her one more short kiss. "Do you want to get out of here?"

The whispered question sent a tangible shiver down Jane's spine. "Want to come back to my place, maybe make out for a few hours?"

A soft kiss to Jane's cheek, then her lips. "I do."

"Want to say goodbye to any—"

"No."

Jane grinned and kissed Maura's forehead. "As you wish."


	3. Chapter 3

"So, do you think we got made?" Maura asked as they got in the car.

Jane laughed at the adorable curiosity in her tone. She put her address in her phone and stuck it on the console of Maura's dashboard so she could be free to talk instead of navigate. "You know, I think we did okay. I've had my share of dealing with overly-inquisitive and/or suspicious people, and I'm pretty confident in saying we fooled 'em."

"Well, I suppose it's not hard to make anyone think I'd be attracted to you," Maura said.

"Sure. The trick would've been convincing them why you bothered to be with me for so long."

"Oh, don't say that."

"Sorry, it's in my nature to be self-deprecating when I'm off the job."

Maura shot her a teasing look. "To make up for your cockiness _on_ the job? Susie told me you can be a bit of a—"

"Hard-ass?"

"Not her exact words," Maura chuckled. "She respects your work ethic. Speaking of which, I hope this doesn't put you on the spot, but I'm curious. What sort of undercover work have you done in the past? Or is that information supposed to remain secret?"

Jane stretched out, feeling remarkably at ease. "I can tell you the basics. Most of it's nothing serious, like, I've been a barista. Been a mail carrier. A dogwalker. But I used to be in vice before I moved to homicide, and I did a stint as a hooker. Oh," she snorted, "and I was a phone sex operator. Had a few colleagues who seemed a little too into how good I was at that one." She considered it for a moment, then added, "I was pretty good at it, though."

Maura shifted in her seat. "I bet you were."

Pitching her voice a little lower, Jane asked, "Come again, doctor?"

"Oh, gosh," Maura groaned. "I just meant, um, your professionalism coupled with—well, your voice is very alluring."

"You'll have to call me sometime when you're back in Hartford," Jane said in the same sensual tone of voice. "Hear just how alluring I can be."

They'd come to a red light, and it was all Maura could do to keep herself from putting the car in park and lunging over at Jane to envelop her in a voracious kiss. She had to satisfy herself with an awkward laugh, then said, "Could I, though? Not for—that, necessarily, but just… could I get your number?"

"Maura, c'mon. That's a given. In fact," she said, reaching for her phone, "just tell me your number and I'll text you so you have mine."

It seemed like in no time at all, they had reached Jane's apartment complex, and it occurred to Jane that Maura had met a very cleaned-up version of herself tonight. On the one hand she was already embarrassed thinking about the messiness of her apartment that Maura was about to discover, but on the other hand, maybe it would be a good thing to get it all out in the open at the outset. Then, Maura would truly know what she was getting herself into, and maybe that would help dim the spell a bit. Not enough to remove interest altogether, Jane hoped, but maybe enough to keep any fantasies in check. She warned Maura about the slob space she was about to enter, which was proven the moment Jane opened her door and it banged into a stack of cardboard boxes.

"Are you still moving in?" Maura asked, stepping sideways into the apartment after Jane.

"No," Jane sighed. "My parents are moving. Specifically, my dad had already moved out but now they've sold the house so my Ma was kinda packing up quick and just dropped off a bunch of my old stuff here. It's mostly all high school junk, I haven't looked at that much of it. If I'd known she was going to bring it, I'd just as soon have told her to take it to the dump. Not that she'd have listened to me; she's much more sentimental about that kind of stuff than I am."

She was sitting on the arm of the couch, legs spread in what her mother used to contemptuously call a "benched football player stance" as she started to undo her tie. She went on, undoing her shirt's top few buttons and removing her blazer, entirely unaware of how transfixed Maura was by these small acts. But she got an idea when she glanced up, and Maura's expression was enough to just about knock her over.

Jane remembered her manners: "You want anything to drink?"

"All I want is the tall glass of water right in front of my eyes," Maura answered.

It was hard to tell if she was trying to be funny or not, because it sounded like a joke but her expression was pretty serious, so Jane decided to take it as a compliment either way. "Let's see if you've still got that stardust look in your eyes when I change into something more comfortable," Jane chuckled. "Um—do you, uh… do you want to change? I should have some sweats or something that you could…"

Maura shook her head, as if to clear it. "Oh, no, that's fine. I'm quite comfortable, but thank you. Would it be all right if I…?" She nudged the lid of the top cardboard box.

With a hoarse laugh, Jane stood up. "Sure, knock yourself out. I'll just be a sec." When she returned wearing gym shorts and a fitted t-shirt, Maura was sitting on the couch with a yearbook. Jane wasn't sure how to interpret the look on her face when she took in Jane's new outfit. "See now, this is the real me. Not suits and nice ties. I mean, that's me on special occasions, but most of the time I'm comfort over style." She joined Maura on the sofa, legs spread wide again. "That a turn-off?"

They did seem hilariously mismatched now, with Jane a step above sleepwear and Maura still in her gown. To even the score, Maura took out the pins keeping her hair up in an elaborate style, leading Jane to feel like she was watching a shampoo commercial unfold in real time.

Maura tossed the silky waves over her shoulders. "See? I can be casual too."

"Very nice," Jane snickered.

"In all honesty, I'm impressed with you being so upfront," Maura said. "Would I have been disillusioned if you'd insisted on coming to my reunion dressed like that? A bit, yes. But I'm a big proponent of feeling comfortable in your own home, and I'm glad you feel like you can do that instead of trying to impress me by maintaining some kind of facade."

"Well," Jane laughed, gesturing to her apartment. "The facade kinda disappeared as soon as you stepped inside, right?"

Maura closed the book and leaned closer. "Make no mistake," she murmured, resting her hand on Jane's leg. The feel of her warm, bare skin was intoxicating; Maura stroked it, and needed a moment to remember what she'd been saying. "You were absolutely stunning in that suit. But if you're trying to make a bad impression by dressing down, it's not going to work, because for the first time in my life, I'm finding gym shorts irresistible."

The fitted shirt was doing some of the work, and Jane had chosen it on purpose. It was thin, inviting touch, and Maura stopped putting it off. She slid her hand over Jane's abs and leaned in for a kiss, her hand closing into a fist around the garment, tightening as the kiss deepened. Maura melted into the kiss as Jane became a little bolder, teasing Maura's lips with her tongue.

Wanting a better angle, Maura shifted over to straddle Jane's lap "It this okay?" she breathed.

Jane took a moment to admire the cleavage directly in front of her face, which, when she looked up and saw Maura's face, she deduced had been a calculated move. Maura rolled her hips and thought she could almost see Jane physically swallowing.

"Is it…" Jane leaned forward, pressing light kisses across the top of Maura's breasts. She couldn't tell if it was perfume or body lotion, but Maura smelled amazing and Jane allowed herself a moment to nestle closer. Meanwhile, Maura felt like every nerve in her body was tightening up in response to the smallest of Jane's movements, even just the faint feeling of her breath against her chest. Jane tried again: "Is it too late to talk about boundaries?"

"No," Maura said with a sharp intake of breath, pulling back just a little. "Your invitation was to come back and make out. That's all I'm expecting. I'm happy to go as far as you want, but I don't want to push anything."

A look of relief and gratitude washed over Jane's face. She let her head rest back on the sofa, but kept her hands at Maura's hips. "Thanks. I'm just really caught off guard by how much I like you. I don't usually get this, um, into someone so fast."

Maura touched her cheek and leaned down for a quick kiss. "That goes double for me. You have no idea how unusual it is for me to feel so comfortable with someone in such little time."

"I think I have some idea," Jane murmured, rubbing one hand up and down Maura's side. "You did a lot of soul-baring tonight. Maybe that's why I feel so much more connected to you than I normally would on a first… um, the first night I've gotten to know someone. Usually it's just stuff like, what d'you do for a living and what are you watching on TV these days?" There was no response to this; Maura just continued to stroke Jane's cheek, quiet and with an unreadable expression. "What're you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking I should've taken you up on your offer," Maura said, "to borrow some more comfortable clothes. I love this dress, but it's fairly restrictive. Which is to say, it's not conducive to the sorts of things I'd like to be doing with you tonight."

Jane groaned, her grip on Maura's hips strengthening as she thrust her own upwards. They met in another kiss, which Jane broke off only to say, "I bet you're gonna look really sexy in my clothes."

She made to get up, but Maura pushed gently down on her shoulders. "Can I surprise you? If you tell me where to look?"

"My bedroom's even more of a mess than the space out here, if you can believe it. I'm afraid I'm gonna lose some desirability points, there."

"I bet you won't," Maura whispered. "But if it takes my presence to shame you into picking up after yourself a bit, maybe it's a nudge you need."

Jane rolled her eyes but smiled. "Look in the bottom drawer of the chest by the closet. Anything in there should be fair game."

Maura got to her feet and teased Jane by starting to unzip her dress before walking towards the bedroom. "Don't go away."

She was taking longer than Jane had to get changed, but Jane figured that that was because she needed a minute to assess her options. Jane realized she had left her phone in her bedroom, so to keep herself occupied, she picked up the yearbook Maura had been looking at. Her initial reaction was to smile—as she had done looking at the pictures at Maura's reunion—at the hairdos and the fashion she'd been so sure would never go out of style. The signatures were fun to look back on, too, filled with slang that would've seemed ridiculous to teenagers today (and seemed ridiculous to Jane now), and many inside jokes she had forgotten. But then came the bittersweet pangs she had mentioned to Maura at the dance, picturing an alternate reality where her gawky teenage self could've talked about girls she liked instead of trying so hard to pretend to be into the Teen Beat studs her friends squealed over at sleepovers.

There was no getting lost time back, though; there was only the here and now. And the present was none too shabby, as proved when Maura re-entered the room. Jane looked up at once to see she had chosen an oversized Red Sox jersey and yoga pants Jane had bought two years ago and never worn.

"I was right," she said, closing the book. "You look damn good."

"Yes, well, I wanted to leave some things to the imagination," Maura said, smirking as she took the yearbook back. "Now if you'll give me a second, I just want to find your picture."

"Aw, c'mon, it's bad."

"Of course it's bad. Everyone's yearbook pictures are bad."

"That's such a lie. I bet yours was nice."

She wasn't making any effort to stop Maura, though, and after a bit of rifling, she found the picture. "Aww, look at your smile! You're precious."

"Shut up," Jane snorted, though she was grinning. "That unibrow was the bane of my existence."

"I think you look sweet. And I love your quote—Dr. Seuss? 'Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.' I really like that. What made you pick it? Is it about the closet?"

With a sigh, Jane said, "Nah. It's not that deep. It was just something I'd seen a lot of people use as their senior quote before, and I couldn't come up with anything much better, so I just used it. Or, well, I guess it was kind of a passive-aggressive statement to my pseudo-boyfriend."

"The one who stood you up at the prom because you wouldn't sleep with him?"

"That's the one. Y'know, I used to roll my eyes when my health teacher would say stuff like 'remember, a person who really loves you wouldn't demand sex to prove it.' It wasn't until Casey that I was like, oh. I get what she meant now. If he really cared about me, he wouldn't be pressuring me. In retrospect, I think that was a good experience for me. It made me learn to trust myself and the whole 'my body, my rules' thing."

Maura nodded, but seemed distracted. "What's Casey's last name? Is he in here?" In response, Jane just laughed and flipped to the page, laughing harder when Maura made a face. "Yeah, he looks smarmy. Was there anyone you had a crush on in school?"

"Hm, a few," Jane muttered. She found Emily's picture, but hers was the first name that came to mind. "She and I used to be best friends, till that chest came in and she ditched me for just about every guy in the grade."

"Oh, that's too bad. Looks like you've got a type, though: well-endowed blondes?" Maura teased her with a little shimmy, earning an embarrassed smile. She went back to the page with Jane on it and smiled, shifting a little closer to Jane on the couch. "I was in tenth grade when I realized I was attracted to girls. I didn't do anything about it until I was in college—not because I was afraid of people knowing, just because I was afraid of people, period. I was so painfully shy; way too shy to be open about my personal life, and way too shy to ask anybody out. So, I would've been way too shy to talk to you."

"Aw, I was harmless."

"I'm sure you were. But I'm such a sucker for a sweet smile, and you had one, and that would've sent me over. You've still got it," she said, tracing Jane's dimple with her thumb. "And it's sending me over now, but I'm at least equipped to handle it."

She wanted to know more. She wanted to hear about Jane's friends in school, and what they'd been like; which teachers had been her favorite and why; which classes she hadn't fallen asleep in. Maybe that came from the "ten months in" mindset she'd been trying to embody at the reunion. Whatever the case, it wasn't information she needed right now. At this moment in time, she had to respond to the look on Jane's face: the soft smile which reached her eyes, eyes starting to reignite with desire.

"Are you a parking ticket?" Jane asked with a totally straight face. Maura looked bewildered. "Because you've got 'fine' written all over you."

It took Maura a moment to get it, and her laugh came out as a groan. "Oh, no! Twenty years to come up with a good pickup line and that was it?"

"Geez, from the look on your face, I thought it was gonna _take _you twenty years to figure out what I was getting at," Jane sniggered.

Maura closed the yearbook and put it on the coffee table. "I think you'd have been impatient with me in high school, because I wasn't very perceptive. I took things very literally—I still often do. But at least I get _these_ more now," she said, plucking at the borrowed jersey. "Sports metaphors, I mean. I remember when I was thirteen or so, I overhead my cousin talking about how he'd gotten to second base with his girlfriend and his brothers were making a big deal about it and I…"

"You were trying to understand the fuss over them walking around a baseball diamond together?" She laughed when Maura could only nod, unable to speak due to her own laughter. In time, Jane recovered to say, "Hey, we're all naïve about different things. And in that vein, maybe it's for the best that we're meeting now instead of having met back then. I'm sure as hell smoother than teenage me."

"Dim the lights and prove it," Maura purred.

Wasting no time, Jane all but vaulted the coffee table to get over to the light switch. The light was still on in the hallway by her bedroom, leaving them just enough to see each other in a sort of soft focus. Jane returned to the couch, sitting closer than she had before, and she put her hand on Maura's leg.

"So Connecticut's not that far," Jane murmured. She shifted her hand up to Maura's thigh and began rubbing small circles with her thumb, and when she leaned over to kiss Maura's neck just below her ear, the combination made Maura's head swim. "Do you think we could—"

"_Yes_."

Jane chuckled against her neck, and Maura felt herself getting limp. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

It took all of Maura's dwindling strength to roll back onto Jane's lap to straddle her again, and it was too dark to tell for sure, but it looked as though Jane was really turned on by the slight aggression of this move.

"I bet that smart mouth of yours got you into a lot of trouble in school, didn't it?" Maura asked.

She ran her thumb across Jane's lips before kissing them, but Jane broke it off quickly to say, "Not nearly as much trouble as I hope they… get me … crap, wait, I'm too turned on to think straight."

"I feel like I should make some kind of joke about the word 'straight,' but I struggle to be funny even when I'm not turned on."

Jane couldn't fight a short laugh. "Okay, hold on. Let me try again. Not—wait, can you say what you said?"

Trying to channel her best sex operator voice was hard when she was smiling so broadly, but Maura made the attempt anyway: "I bet that smart mouth of yours got you into a lot of trouble when you were in school."

"Not nearly as much trouble as I hope it gets into with you."

"Mm, good answer."

Maura took Jane's face in her hands and drew her in for another kiss. She sucked Jane's lower lip and grazed her teeth against it, gauging Jane's reaction before slipping her tongue in Jane's mouth. It got Jane's attention: she straightened up and strengthened her grip on Maura's hips, before shifting her hands around to her ass. This surged Maura forward, bringing their bodies as close together as possible.

At first, Maura was waiting for things to elevate—or at least, that's what the throbbing between her legs was anxious for. But Jane was unhurried, and Maura's heartbeat calmed down, and she found herself relaxing into this slow rhythm that Jane was working to establish. Jane loved to take her time, and it seemed especially warranted with Maura. Her skin was so soft, she smelled faintly of lavender, and Jane couldn't get enough. A hazy corner of her mind wondered if she ought to be vocalizing these compliments, but she was barely conscious of the decision not to. Maura enjoyed the deliberate nature of Jane's actions.

It had been a long time since Maura had let the journey be the destination.

It felt wonderful.

Time as a concept began to melt away. Maura honestly had no idea how long they had been going at it like this when one of Jane's hands crept under her jersey. As it began moving upwards, still unrushed, Maura took her first fast movement in however many minutes to seize it and bring it up to her breast.

Jane laughed into their kiss, brushing her thumb over the lace which covered a very pronounced nipple. "This feels like a really nice bra. Were you expecting to get some at your reunion?"

"No," Maura said, trembling. Her legs were starting to get weak from having withheld this straddling position for so long, and she got all the more feeble when Jane pinched her. "It's just, I think it's the one that best suits my breasts in the dress I chose to wear."

There was something endearing to Jane about her formality, or her being too classy to use a word like "boobs." She slipped her other hand up the jersey, massaging her other breast; Maura gasped, her eyes fluttering shut and her head tilting back, leading Jane to kiss her neck.

"That was sweet of you," Jane said, between kisses that moved along her jaw. "To leave it on when you changed."

"W-well, I didn't think—I mean, I was thinking of second base, so…"

"So, if I'm remembering my metaphors correctly, that means anything above the waist is fair game."

"R…eally? There must be regional differences, then, because I was led to understand it all had to be over the clothes."

"You're right, that's a regional difference."

"Then take it off," Maura whispered.

Instead, Jane shifted her hands back down to Maura's waist, and leaned back against the couch. "I'm happy to, if you'd prefer, but I'm not too shy to tell you I think one of the sexiest things to watch is a woman taking off her bra for me. In fact, I think it's my second favorite thing to watch when it comes to undressing."

"What's number one?"

There was no hesitation before Jane's response: "Watching her undo my belt." She smirked when Maura's eyes immediately zoomed downwards, checking to see if this was something she could do before remembering Jane was wearing shorts. "We're gonna have to save that for another time, sweetheart."

There was an innocent hopefulness in Maura's tone when she asked, "So there's going to be another time, right?"

"Sure. We'll have your thirtieth reunion," Jane joked, but it looked like Maura wasn't sure if she was teasing. "Yes, there's going to be another time. That's what I meant before when I said Hartford's not that far away. Hell, it's nothing." She'd intended to say more about going on a real date, but Maura had reached under the jersey and instead Jane asked, "Wait, what kind of bra is it?"

"Well it's strapless, so—"

"Shit, what? I'll take care of it, then."

Without an ounce of the restraint or delicacy she had exhibited up to that point, Jane dove her hands back under the jersey and yanked the bra down. It wasn't until her bare skin was being palmed by Jane's hands that Maura realized just how keyed up she was: a high-pitched moan escaped her, electrifying Jane, and draining Maura of the last of her energy. She almost fell backwards—and then did.

It was a bit of a stumble; she clutched onto Jane, veering forward, but Jane had leaned forward at the same time, which sent them wildly off balance and tumbling off the couch. They laughed as they made quick work of disentangling themselves, and Jane situated herself on top of Maura.

"What'd I tell you? Smooth as silk" she chuckled.

Maura grabbed Jane at the wrist when she made to move it. "Just one thing, wait. If we're sticking to second base, I think we'd better keep it above the clothes. It's—it's too much for me otherwise."

Jane appreciated the honesty and sat up, bringing Maura with her. "Noted and understood. Come back up here with me."

They returned to the couch, and Maura had to ask, "Are you testing yourself or something? Or is second base one of your boundaries you mentioned earlier?"

"Oh. Yeah, it is. Actually, believe it or not, I generally don't go this far on a first date," Jane said, and Maura looked genuinely surprised by this. "I just seem to um, I dunno, I feel like I need time with a woman before I get wrapped up in all that. I spent so long in the closet, and then got pressured into doing so much right after I got out. If I want to get off, I can do that myself—and usually, better than with the 'help' of someone else. I dunno." She was talking too fast, as if to keep up with her rapid heartbeat; she took a breath and slowed down. "When I think about getting intimate with a woman, it's her heart and mind that I want to get to know first. Sometimes the physical stuff follows soon, sometimes it takes longer. But usually the emotional connection takes time to build, and I really need that to enjoy sex, which I guess is why I've never been great with dating apps. I tend to date people I sorta know, at least a bit. I don't go trolling for hook-ups. I've never been a one-night-stand kind of person."

"I am, sometimes," Maura said, and it was nothing she was ashamed of, but she wondered if Jane would find that a turn-off.

Jane just shrugged. "That's cool, you do you."

"But I can appreciate letting anticipation build, too," Maura went on, tracing her fingers down Jane's arm. "And I can see where you're coming from."

Jane nodded. "Guess I've always liked structure, and this kinda helps me make sure I'm protecting my… protecting my heart," she chuckled, aware of how corny she sounded. "It's been implied to me before by some that my approach can be kinda juvenile, sorry."

Maura shook her head. "'My body, my rules' is the opposite of juvenile, Jane. It really means a lot to me that you've felt like you could be so open with me. I feel like I'm getting to know you, understand you, in ways I normally wouldn't on a first—well, whatever this is. Date? People usually go out of their way try to and impress me, and you're just…"

"Sabotaging myself at every turn?" Jane joked.

"Doing a pretty lousy job of it, if that's the goal," Maura said with a smile. "You're putting all your cards on the table, so to speak. I respect that."

Jane was holding Maura's hand, and interlaced their fingers as she looked into Maura's eyes. "I want to see you again," she said softly, and all the tension Maura didn't even know she'd been holding onto just melted away. "I know I still have so much to learn about you, and I want to learn it. I think maybe all of it," she added in a low voice, stroking Maura's thigh. "All I know is that I feel way more connected to you than I ever have after just one date with someone else."

"Ten months in?"

"Mm, maybe ten weeks," Jane said. "Pretty damn good start for one night, though."

"I want to come back," Maura said. "I want to go on a real date with you, Jane Rizzoli."

Those dimples really were lethal. Jane leaned closer, nuzzling her nose against Maura's, then gave her a soft kiss. "Or I could come up to see you," she whispered before another kiss.

"Technically, you'd be coming _down _to see me," Maura couldn't help pointing out.

"What-the-hell-ever, poindexter," Jane chuckled, and she brought her in for another kiss, one that never seemed to end.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading, y'all! It's always nice to get back to the world of Rizzles fluff. I'm gonna mark this as complete for now, but I'm not going to write off the possibility of adding more in the future, because I do love these two..!


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